Latin Text Selections

In the process of updating the category tags, several old posts got republished, sometimes several times, because I was not careful enough. This will be more of an annoyance in RSS readers.

The Latin:

Ecce servus meus, suscípiam eum ;
eléctus meus, complácuit sibi in illo ánima mea :
dedi spíritum meum super eum :
iudícium géntibus próferet.
Non clamábit, neque accípiet persónam,
nec audiétur vox eíus foris.
Cálamum quassátum non cónteret,
et linum fúmigans non extínguet :
in veritáte edúcet iudícium.

The English:

Behold my servant, I will uphold him:
my elect, my soul delighteth in him:
I have given my spirit upon him,
he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
He shall not cry, nor have respect to person,
neither shall his voice be heard abroad.
The bruised reed he shall not break,
and smoking flax he shall not quench:
he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

The Latin:

Vox clamántis in desérto:
Paráte viam Dómini,
rectas fácite in solitúdine sémitas Dei nostri.
Omnis vallis exaltábitur,
et omnis mons et collis humiliábitur,
et erunt prava in dirécta,
et áspera in vias planas :
et revelábitur glória Dómini,
et vidébit omnis caro páriter
quod os Dómini locútum est.

The English:

The voice of one crying in the desert:
Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
make straight in the wilderness the paths of our God.
Every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
and the rough ways plain.
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh together shall see,
that the mouth of the Lord hath spoken.

[This would have been more useful about five days ago, but I reached Isaias 40 today.]

The Latin:

Aspérges me hyssópo, et mundábor ;
lauábis me, et super niúem dealbábor.
Misérere mei, Deus, secúndum magnam misericórdiam tuam.

The English (Douay-Rheims):

Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy.

[This is also a well-known sung antiphon for the sprinking of the congregation with holy water at the beginning of Holy Mass, usually on Sundays and especially during Eastertide. Wikipaedia entry.]

The Latin:

Et cum iter fáceret, cóntigit ut appropinquáret Damásco : et súbito circumfúlsit eum lux de cælo. Et cadens in terram audiúit úocem dicéntem sibi : Saule, Saule, quid me perséqueris ? Qui dixit : Quis es, dómine ? Et ille : Ego sum Iésus, quem tu perséqueris : durum est tibi contra stímulum calcitráre.

The English (Douay-Rheims):

And as he went on his journey, it came to pass that he drew nigh to Damascus; and suddenly a light from heaven shined round about him. And falling on the ground, he heard a voice saying to him: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Who said: Who art thou, Lord? And he: I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the goad.

[Today, the Church celebrates the conversion of St. Paul. That's odI can't find that last sentence in the RSV.]

The Latin:

Dóminus scit cogitatiónes hóminum,
quóniam uánæ sunt.
Beátus homo quem tu erudíeris, Dómine,
et de lege tua docúeris eum :
ut mítiges ei a diébus malis.

The English (Douay-Rheims):

The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men, that they are vain. Blessed is the man whom thou shalt instruct, O Lord: and shalt teach him out of thy law. That thou mayst give him rest from the evil days.

The Latin:

Ecce nunc benedícite Dóminum, omnes sérui Dómini :
qui statis in domo Dómini,
in átriis domus Dei nostri.

The English (D-R):

BEHOLD now bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord:
Who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.

The Latin:

Vánitas uanitátum, dixit Ecclesiástes ;
uánitas uanitátum, et ómnia uánitas.

The English:

Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes
vanity of vanities, and all is vanity.

I realised that I don’t have many categories here and there may be hundreds of Bible extracts, since more posts come out of the Vulgate than from any other place.

Therefore, I shall spend the next couple of days cracking the Bible extracts into OT, NT and poetry. That should be a nice way to kill any spare time I may find.

The Latin:

Súfficit enim prætéritum tempus ad voluntátem géntium consummándam, his qui ambulavérunt in luxúriis, desidériis, vinoléntiis, comessatiónibus, potatiónibus, et illícitis idolórum cúltibus. In quo admirántur non concurréntibus vobis in eámdem luxúriæ confusiónem, blasphemántes.

The English:

For the time past is sufficient to have fulfilled the will of the Gentiles, for them who have walked in riotousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and unlawful worshipping of idols. Wherein they think it strange, that you run not with them into the same confusion of riotousness, speaking evil of you.

[Oh yes, two thousand years old is the criticism of the Catholic Church.]

The Latin:

…sed non diu permánsit ira tua.
Prósperans enim homo sine queréla deprecári pro pópulis,
próferens servitútis suæ scutum,
oratiónem et per incénsum deprecatiónem állegans,
réstitit iræ, et finem impósuit necessitáti,
osténdens quóniam tuus est fámulus.
Vicit autem turbas non in virtúte córporis,
nec armatúræ poténtia :
sed verbo illum qui se vexábat subiécit.

The English:

…but thy wrath did not long continue.
For a blameless man made haste to pray for the people,
bringing forth the shield of his ministry,
prayer, and by incense making supplication,
withstood the wrath, and put an end to the calamity,
shewing that he was thy servant.
And he overcame the disturbance, not by strength of body
nor with force of arms,
but with a word he subdued him that punished them.

The Latin:

Idcírco hæc dicit Dóminus Deus :
Ecce ego mittam in fundaméntis Sion lápidem,
lápidem probátum,
angulárem, pretiósum, in fundaménto fundátum ;
qui credíderit, non festínet.
Et ponam in póndere iudícium,
et iustítiam in mensúra ;
et subvértet grando spem mendácii,
et protectiónem aquæ inundábunt.

The English:

Therefore thus saith the Lord God:
Behold I will lay a stone in the foundations of Sion,
a tried stone,
a corner stone, a precious stone, founded in the foundation.
He that believeth, let him not hasten.
And I will set judgment in weight,
and justice in measure:
and hail shall overturn the hope of falsehood:
and waters shall overflow its protection.

The Latin:

Et tu puer, prophéta Altíssimi vocáberis :
præíbis enim ante fáciem Dómini paráre vias eíus,
ad dandam sciéntiam salútis plebi eíus
in remissiónem peccatórum eórum.

The English:

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest:
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways:
To give knowledge of salvation to his people,
unto the remission of their sins.

[The prophecy of Zecharias, the father of the Herald.]

The Latin:

Sacerdotes tui, Domine, induant iustitiam, et sancti tui exsultent: propter David servum tuum, non avertas faciem Christi tui. Memento, Domine, David: et omnis mansuetudinis eius. Gloria Patri.

The English:

Let your priests, Lord, be clothed with justice, and your saints rejoice: for your servant David’s sake turn not away the face of your anointed. Lord, remember David; and all his meekness. Glory to the Father.

[The introit from my St. Andrew Missal. 1960.]

Good stuff from the National Archives:

1. Basic Latin
2. Advanced Latin
Links happily acquired from Past Thinking.

The Latin:

Caríssimi, óbsecro vos tamquam ádvenas et peregrínos abstinére vos a carnálibus desidériis, quæ mílitant advérsus ánimam, conversatiónem vestram inter gentes habéntes bonam…Subiécti ígitur estóte omni humánæ creatúræ propter Deum: sive regi quasi præcellénti : sive dúcibus tamquam ab eo missis ad vindíctam malefactórum, laudem vero bonórum…Omnes honoráte: fraternitátem dilígite: Deum timéte: regem honorificáte.

The English:

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, to refrain yourselves from carnal desires which war against the soul, having your conversation good among the Gentiles…be ye subject therefore to every human creature for God’s sake: whether it be to the king as excelling; or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of the good…Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

The Latin:

Et egrediétur virga de radíce Iésse, et flos de radíce eíus ascéndet. Et requiéscet super eum spíritus Dómini: spíritus sapiéntiæ et intelléctus, spíritus consílii et fortitúdinis, spíritus sciéntiæ et pietátis…sed iudicábit in iustítia páuperes, et árguet in æquitáte pro mansuétis terræ ; et percútiet terram virga oris sui, et spíritu labiórum suórum interfíciet ímpium.

The English:

And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom, and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and of godliness…but he shall judge the poor with justice, and shall reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.

The Latin:

Omnia idóla natiónum deos æstimavérunt,
quibus neque oculórum usus est ad vidéndum,
neque nares ad percipiéndum spíritum,
neque aures ad audiéndum,
neque dígiti mánuum ad tractándum,
sed et pedes eórum pigri ad ambulándum.
Homo enim fecit illos ;
et qui spíritum mutuátus est, is finxit illos.
Nemo enim sibi símilem homo póterit deum fíngere.

The English:

They have esteemed all the idols of the heathens for gods,
which neither have the use of eyes to see,
nor noses to draw breath,
nor ears to hear,
nor fingers of hands to handle,
and as for their feet, they are slow to walk.
For man made them:
and he that borroweth his own breath, fashioned them.
For no man can make a god like to himself.

[Wisdom spends a lot of time with the abominable sin of idolatry. This is important in our age, when people like to think that all religions are equal. Yesterday, I saw a man pay homage to two pictures: one the picture of a man with the head of an elephant who the Hindus call Ganesh and the other the picture of some local saint who people revere but most of them cannot tell me why. In Wis 14, there are some outlines of how a pagan diety is formed.]

The Latin:

1. Novíssimo aggraváta est via maris trans Iordánem Galilǽæ géntium. Pópulus qui ambulábat in ténebris, vidit lucem magnam ; habitántibus in regióne umbræ mortis, lux orta est eis. [2]

2. Íugum enim óneris eíus, et virgam húmeri eíus, et sceptrum exactóris eíus superásti, sicut in die Mádian. [4]

3. Párvulus enim natus est nobis, et fílius datus est nobis,
et factus est principátus super húmerum eíus : et vocábitur nomen eíus,
Admirábilis, Consiliárius, Deus, Fortis, Pater futúri sǽculi, Princeps pacis. [6]

The English:

1. At the last the way of the sea beyond the Jordan of the Galilee of the Gentiles was heavily loaded. The people that walked in darkness, have seen a great light: to them that dwelt in the region of the shadow of death, light is risen.

2. For the yoke of their burden, and the rod of their shoulder, and the sceptre of their oppressor thou best overcome, as in the day of Madian.

3. For a CHILD IS BORN to us, and a son is given to us, and the government is upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace.

[Awe inspiring messianic prophecies.]

The Latin:

Óbsecro ígitur primum ómnium fíeri obsecratiónes, oratiónes, postulatiónes, gratiárum actiónes, pro ómnibus homínibus : pro régibus, et ómnibus qui in sublimitáte sunt, ut quiétam et tranquíllam vitam agámus in omni pietáte, et castitáte : hoc enim bonum est, et accéptum coram Salvatóre nostro Deo.

The English:

I desire therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men: For kings, and for all that are in high station: that we may lead a quiet and a peaceable life in all piety and chastity. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.

The Latin:

Respóndens autem alter increpábat eum, dicens : Neque tu times Deum, quod in eádem damnatióne es. Et nos quidem iúste, nam digna factis recípimus : hic vero nihil mali gessit. Et dicébat ad Iésum : Dómine, meménto mei cum véneris in regnum tuum. Et dixit illi Iésus : Amen dico tibi : hódie mecum eris in paradíso.

The English:

But the other answering, rebuked him, saying: Neither dost thou fear God, seeing thou art condemned under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man hath done no evil. And he said to Jesus: Lord, remember me when thou shalt come into thy kingdom. And Jesus said to him: Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with me in paradise.

[This is one of my favourite lines. The hope I mentioned in the title refers to this last line. May we all hear the like when our time comes.]

The Latin:

Da mihi sédium tuárum assistrícem sapiéntiam, et noli me reprobáre a púeris tuis :
quóniam servus tuus sum ego, et fílius ancíllæ tuæ ; homo infírmus, et exígui témporis, et minor ad intelléctum iudícii et legum.

The English:

Give me wisdom, that sitteth by thy throne, and cast me not off from among thy children: For I am thy servant, and the son of thy handmaid, a weak man, and of short time, and falling short of the understanding of judgment and laws.

[Wisdom 9 is a beautiful little prayer of Solomon. What caught my eye was this verse, spoken by Jim Caviezel in the Passion when he is given the cross (italicised). A new convert to Christianity I was watching the movie with could not explain what it was doing in the movie, since it doesn't form part of the Gospel account. But a lot in the movie doesn't, because the storyline adapts mystical visions, also.]

The Latin:

Ave verum corpus, natum de Maria Virgine.
Vere passum, immolatum in cruce pro homine.
Cujus latus perforatum unda fluxit sanguine;
Esto nobis praegustatum in mortis examine.
O Dulcis, O Pie, O Jesu, fili Mariae, miserere mei.

The English:

Hail, true body, born of the Virgin Mary.
Truly suffered, sacrificed on the Cross for mankind.
Whose pierced side flowed with water and blood;
Be for us a foretaste in the trial of death.
O Sweet, O Holy, O Jesus, son of Mary, have mercy on me.
[The source is Vicipaedia, the Latin Wikipaedia.]

The Latin:

1. Cum facis convívium, voca páuperes, débiles, claudos, et cæcos : et beátus eris, quia non habent retribúere tibi : retribuétur enim tibi in resurrectióne iustórum. (14:13-14)

2. Fili, tu semper mecum es, et ómnia mea tua sunt : epulári autem, et gaudére oportébat, quia frater tuus hic mórtuus erat, et revíxit ; períerat, et invéntus est. (15:31-32)

3. Nemo servus potest duóbus dóminis servíre : aut enim unum ódiet, et álterum díliget : aut uni adhærébit, et álterum contémnet. Non potéstis Deo servíre et mammónæ. (16:13)

4. Nemo est qui relíquit domum, aut paréntes, aut fratres, aut uxórem, aut fílios propter regnum Dei, et non recípiat multo plura in hoc témpore, et in sǽculo ventúro vitam ætérnam. (18:29-30)

5. Quid fáciam ? Mittam fílium meum diléctum : fórsitan, cum hunc víderint, verebúntur. (20:13)

The English:

1. When thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind; And thou shalt be blessed, because they have not wherewith to make thee recompense: for recompense shall be made thee at the resurrection of the just.

2. Son, thou art always with me, and all I have is thine. But it was fit that we should make merry and be glad, for this thy brother was dead and is come to life again; he was lost, and is found.

3. No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

4. There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, who shall not receive much more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

5. What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be, when they see him, they will reverence him.

The Latin:

Est enim in illa spíritus intelligéntiæ,
sanctus, únicus, múltiplex, súbtilis,
disértus, móbilis, incoinquinátus, certus,
suávis, amans bonum, acútus,
quem nihil vetat, benefáciens,
humánus, benígnus, stábilis, certus, secúrus,
omnem habens virtútem, ómnia prospíciens,
et qui cápiat omnes spíritus,
intelligíbilis, mundus, súbtilis.

The English:

For in her is the spirit of understanding:
holy, one, manifold, subtile,
eloquent, active, undefiled, sure,
sweet, loving that which is good, quick,
which nothing hindereth, beneficent,
Gentle, kind, steadfast, assured, secure,
having all power, overseeing all things,
and containing all spirits,
intelligible, pure, subtile.

[I've been busy and frankly a little depressed for a while. My reading has recommenced and here is some more from the Wisdom of Solomon. Here described is the 'spirit of understanding'.]

From the Charlotte Observer. Even at the zoo, it helps.